SCF Spotlight: Mitch Marner (Game 3)
Don't blink
It’s fair to say Vegas is still breathing a sigh of relief. Up 4-0 in the third period, John Tortorella’s club needed a double-overtime Hurricanes own goal to avoid the worst single-game collapse in Stanley Cup Final history.
Saturday night’s contest should serve as a reminder not to rest on your laurels, but it also shone a light on Mitch Marner’s dazzling offensive repertoire. The Golden Knights’ splashy summer acquisition is the only reason they held such a comfortable lead in the first place, generating an endless stream of opportunities for himself and his linemates.
Before we delve into his individual contributions, we should address his partnership with William Karlsson.
While the Swede’s extended injury layoff limited the duo to a mere ~15 minutes together in the regular season (which may explain Marner’s sub-PPG campaign), they’re positively humming now. The two-way center’s motor and dependable positioning enable an uber-instinctive forward like Marner to simply trust his gut. Buoyed by this latitude and Vegas’ house-protecting personnel, the winger has been reaching for the boldest items in his bag:
Gambling for takeaways
Leaking out for rush offense
Game 3 revealed how these tendencies can make structured opponents look vulnerable. First, the aggressive defense:
Make no mistake: Marner isn’t a shutdown artist. He views this side of the puck as a prelude to his counterpunches and charts his pursuit angles accordingly, constantly heading north rather than containing his mark. This resulted in breakdowns at times with the Leafs. On a squad built to guard its fortress, however, his attacking brand of defense can yield lightning-quick offense.
In Game 3, that translated to a short-handed takeaway and penalty shot.
The 29-year-old also took risks off puck in the DZ, anticipating changes of possession in order to fly in the other direction and prevent the Canes from settling into their man-to-man groove. From the second period onward, he repeatedly tried to stretch Carolina’s defense:
It paid off:
Pressuring the puck within Vegas’ Box + 1 DZ system, Marner guides Jackson Blake (CAR 53) to the wall and crouch-blocks from a distance instead of snuffing out his breathing room entirely. Although Blake does find Alexander Nikishin (CAR 21) at the top of the strong-side circle (it bears repeating that Marner is a riverboat gambler), the D-man whiffs and Marner’s educated guess puts him 10 feet higher than the Canes expect on the counter. That advantage, along with his swift processor, grants him a partial breakaway.
Stick-side slapper —> 4-0 Golden Knights.
He was able to leave an impression without pushing the envelope too. Vegas’ doggedness around the puck has allowed him to sharpen his OZ spacing and thus his goal-scoring menace. The Golden Knights win so many battles in the trenches that Marner is getting more cracks at working himself free in good ice.
When you add volume to his on- and off-puck vision, that spells trouble for the opposition. The numbers speak for themselves:
He offered his teammates A+ target after A+ target on Saturday night:
Watch him locate coverage gaps and time his arrival with the introduction of a passing window. It’s that anticipation again. He just sees—and seizes—these opportunities one beat ahead of his counterparts.
That trait produced a key marker in the second frame:
A few details to note following William Carrier’s (CAR 28) brutal turnover:
Karlsson, once again the unsung hero, sets a cagey pick on Carrier to delay Carolina’s pressure on Brayden McNabb (VGK 3). K’Andre Miller (CAR 19) spots the puck-carrier rumbling down the high slot and decides to slide over.
Look at Marner’s eyes. He’s staring straight at Miller to determine whether he should slice inside or curl around the towering LD.
Miller cuts across the DZ, gets tangled up in Carrier and Karlsson, and Marner opens his stance to receive a pass on his forehand in prime real estate.
Patience vs. Frederik Andersen’s (CAR 31) hard push —> backhand tuck.
Of course, Marner hasn’t evolved into a pure shooter. He’s still very much a pass-first weapon—and his playmaking didn’t lose any of its luster in Game 3:
No Golden Knight was as creative or incisive as Marner on Saturday night. He connected with streakers in transition and showcased his special knack for flinging pucks off the wall and onto the tape of teammates in dangerous areas. He repeatedly aimed to test Carolina’s mettle in the heart of the OZ, and although he benefited from a bounce below, good things happen when you consistently drive pucks to the right places:
If there’s a recurring theme here, it’s his desire to attack Carolina before it can gather its bearings. The Canes boast the thoroughbreds to play suffocating five-man defense, but when you subtract their numbers and challenge their individual defensive acumen, it’s a whole different ballgame.
Marner beat the opposition to the punch over and over again, through several avenues (aggro takeaways, leaking out on the rush, opportunistic spacing, go-for-the-jugular playmaking), in the finest playoff showing of his career. Vegas consequently posted a ridiculous 2.09 expected goals during his 5-on-5 shifts. By my count, he was directly involved in 12 SCORING CHANCES.
He earned every bit of his good fortune in Game 3, and you can be damn sure Vegas is thanking its lucky star right now.
On the night, he registered 3 goals, 1 assist and an 84.3 xGF%. The Golden Knights outscored the Canes 4-1 with Marner on the ice. His 4-point blitz in the second frame is tied for the most productive period in SCF history.
Here are the full highlights:
Someone wellness check the Leafs fans